You should be active on social media. 

I can say that, but what does it actually mean to be active or consistent online? And why should you be doing it for your business? And what should you concentrate on when the options are seemingly endless? 

As much as I talk about pre-planning your social media calendar and keeping a strategy to keep it consistent online—you also need to engage, engage, engage! 

Your own social media posts can be planned and executed on a schedule, but what about the ‘social’ part of social media? The part where you comment and like and start conversations with your followers? 

That’s a little trickier to nail down into a schedule. And even harder not to fall down the rabbit hole of liking/commenting on random posts. 

What you can do is build healthy engagement habits for your online profiles.

Here are 7 things to start doing today to engage with your audience daily.

1. Check Your Mentions

Check your mentions on all platforms. If someone has mentioned you in recent posts it’s important to acknowledge it. Ways to acknowledge it:

1. Reply to them and thank them

2. Continue the conversation

3. Give them a heart or thumbs up

4. Follow them if you aren’t already following them

2. Follow people back

Check for new followers and if it makes sense (not bots, spam, inappropriate accounts), follow them back.

3. Follow new people

Follow 5-10 new people per platform. Choose people that are in your industry, someone you admire or a potential lead for your business.

4. Set a timer and go

Interact with your current followers on each platform for 15 minutes. Like posts, comment on specials, share related material, etc.

5. Leave Comments

Comment on 5 posts with REAL authentic comments. Do this to potential clients or people within your industry or fellow entrepreneurs.

6. Research popular hashtags

Research popular hashtags for your industry and find other users that are using them. Follow them and comment on their post. Since you are using the same hashtags you most likely have something in common.

7. Use video replies:

Videos are becoming so much more popular and you can’t get more personal than sending someone a direct video message. So instead of a quick text reply, heart or ignoring your next mention or DM, send them a video reply.

Your direct connection

This probably seems like a lot of work if you’re not active on social media every day. But unfortunately in 2020, ignoring your comments and DM’s on social media is the same as ignoring your phone when a customer comes calling. 

Your audience is more likely to support you if you pay attention to them. And your posts will reach more people if you do, so it’s a win-win situation. 

I challenge you to try even one of these tricks this week and let me know how it goes. Not sure who to try these tricks with? Engage with me! I can be found on all platforms @kasocialmedia.

Remember that social media marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. Establishing daily social media habits will help you grow over time to avoid getting burned out on social media. 

Having even 100 engaged followers that are invested in you and your brand is much better than having millions of followers who don’t look at your content or engage with you. Start small and before you know it, these habits will become a part of your daily routine.